The Great War of Archimedes | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

Tomatometer 2 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings

Pre-WWII, the Japanese Navy commissions the creation of impressive "super-ship" Yamato, opposed by an admiral insisting on more battle-ready warships. Once ignored, Admiral Yamamoto recruits a math genius to uncover a suspected conspiracy.

Critics Reviews

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The Great War of Archimedes | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Anthony Kao Cinema Escapist The Great War of Archimedes becomes a refreshingly self-aware commentary on Japan's militarism and contemporary national ethos. Jun 7, 2021 Full Review The Great War of Archimedes | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Roger Moore Movie Nation A very entertaining and offbeat spin on Japan's pre-WWII history and the national mood at the time, and an intriguing if somewhat far-fetched "what if" about the country's long, delusional journey into World War II. Rated: 2.5/4 May 26, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Merrick S Surprisingly intense, less for the somewhat conventional narrative elements than for the twisting, nuanced meditation on war and patriotism which writhes under the surface. Excellent acting, particularly by Hiroshi Tachi as a wry, craggy Admiral Yamamoto. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/24/24 Full Review Doug O The Great War of Archimedes https://youtu.be/HcNrKxqIYW0?si=7aveuzAle6-APrK5 A fantastic story, and, superblydirected, and, acted. I have not seen the dynamicsof a movie so intensely played out,since 'Beckett.' A must see for mathematicians,strategists, and, visionaries. And the pursuitors of R & D entrepreneurs, and, engineers. And, much of the the lay public would find this fascinating, and, inspirational,as well. It shows how considerable thought was given - years before - the attack on Pearl Harbor. And may help in the understanding - win or lose - how that event came to be. Becket described - This was a great movie. About King Henry the 2nd, a Norman, who befriends a Saxon. Makes him (the Saxon), a Chancellor, and, then, Arch-Bishop (in order to have the church ally with England). However, the situation backfires, because, the Saxon (played by Richard Burton), becomes so engrained with the church (and, the power of God), that he (the Saxon), will do, for the good of the church, not for England, or, even his best friend King Henry II (played by Peter O'Tool). This results in a fued - a dramatic and, tragic clash between the formerly, inseparable friends. And, along with the repercussions, that ripple on down the chain of friends, Nobles, relatives, and, country-men. Whether male to male, or, male to female, it is a perfect example, of how the magical, and, solidly connected attachment, between 2 human beings, can so easily, and, unexpectedly, turn around, and work against each other. How Peter O'Tool did not landan Academy Award for his dynamic, and outstanding portrayal, behooves me to this day, as it did when I first saw this movie - just out of highschool - back in the early '60's. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/03/24 Full Review Kevin S Yamazaki can take a story about math and make it super interesting and easily digestible. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/07/24 Full Review Bob E This has got to be one of the trashiest CGI "movies" that I've seen The opening scenes are the sinking of the Yamoto all done in CGI and then on to the poorest acting on the planet complete with English voice dubbing. One Japanese actor even used the phrase "rat bastard" when referring to the young genius. Don't waste your time watching this. I spent 1/2 an hour trying to get into this garbage. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/18/23 Full Review Nicholas C This is an Innovative and chilling look at the seeds of war with excellent performances s visuals. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/05/23 Full Review robert h The title of this movie belies its importance. Who remembers that Archimedes was Greek mathematician who came up with the idea of the displacement of water, buoyancy, etc. -- keys to the construction of naval vessels? This movie is about the battleship Yamato, and its importance as a symbol of Japan -- the contention of the story being that its designer, and an anti-war genius -- realizing that Japan was going to go to war with the US, built a ship that they knew would be sunk -- that its sinking would deflate the rabid nationalism which might have ended in the total annihilation of the Japanese people. If true, these designers were heroes. It is a good story, and an important one. The title does the story no justice. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Takashi Yamazaki Director Masaki Suda Actor Tasuku Emoto Actor Minami Hamabe Actor Tsurube Shofukutei Actor Katsuya Kobayashi Actor
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Synopsis Pre-WWII, the Japanese Navy commissions the creation of impressive "super-ship" Yamato, opposed by an admiral insisting on more battle-ready warships. Once ignored, Admiral Yamamoto recruits a math genius to uncover a suspected conspiracy.

Director
Takashi Yamazaki

Genre
Action, Drama, Mystery & Thriller

Original Language
English

Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 15, 2021

Runtime
2h 10m
The Great War of Archimedes | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)
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